Cultivating a Culture of Excellence

Introduction

So at this time we turn over to you brother Roger. Well good morning. If you got your Bibles, turn with us to the Gospel of Luke, chapter 18. Luke, chapter 18. We’ll get started there in just a moment. Wonderful to be here with you. I appreciate we’ve been with you a few moments already, but you all have been so helpful. I walked in the building, someone handed me a pen, someone handed me the Lord’s supper, someone asked me about my accommodation, somebody wanted to know if they’d give me some water.

I thought the only help I didn’t get is come up here and help me preach. But uh I I appreciate that so much and looking forward to spend a few few days together. I’m a firm believer when good and honest hearts intersect with the word of God, wonderful things happen. And I’m looking forward to being with you, getting to know you better. In the mornings, we’re going to be doing some lessons. uh Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday mornings, we’re going to be talking about moments with Jesus at 10:00 a.m.

If you’ve got a few moments, you want to join with us, we’d be happy to have you come and be with us as we look at some of those things together. Well, let’s get going this morning. Let me begin with a story. On a hot, muggy Sunday evening worship period, song leader comes in late, has not yet selected the songs for worship. The children are restless and noisy as we wait as he hurdly fans the pages of the himmill scribbles down some numbers on the back of a visitor’s card and steps into the pulpit to begin the service at 6 minutes past the hour.

Their first song is a lively stamped baxter arrangement that requires both alto and tener leads and our tener is just pulling into the parking lot. About midway through the first verse, after the singing falls apart and dies, the song leader stops and apologizes that we don’t have enough people here to sing the song tonight. He announces his next song on the list. At this point, the swinging doors open in the rear of the auditorium, and the first of three waves of habitual latecomers make their way down the aisle to sit with family and friends.

We then begin singing the next hymn, Amazing Grace. The tempo is slow and the song is pitched so high that most of the sopranos drop out on the highest notes. But we’re not stopping the song for anything. We do however omit the third verse. When the song ends, three adults and four children get up and march out of the auditorium to the water fountain and the restrooms while a young boy walks timidly to the podium to do the scripture reading. After having some difficulty finding the announced passage in his Bible, he begins quickly and quietly to read the passage.

A child somewhere close to the back of the auditorium begins talking out as parent decides to administer on the spot corporal punishment. Only afterward when the wailing of the child has effectively prevented anyone from hearing the reading does the parent decide that the child should be taken out of the auditorium. The opening prayer follows and we not only pray for the sick and afflicted and distressed the world over, but we close by asking God to guide, guard, and direct us until we meet again the next appointed time.

Heads come up, glances are exchanged across the auditorium as a sort of unspoken acknowledgement that someone needs to teach this young man the difference between opening prayer and a closing prayer. After another song, the preacher steps into the pulpit and announces his lesson for the evening. The dangers of emotionalism and denominational worship. Intellectually, we acknowledge that the preacher is speaking words of truth and quoting main scriptures in his lesson.

But tonight our heart sinks because we know that something is tragically empty and shallow about our own reality. Is this true worship or is something missing here? I can say I have been there. For some people that is a regular worship period. And so this morning what we want to do is I want to walk through some things with you that has just become a passion of mine recently. uh something I’ve written a lot about, something I preach a lot, and that is developing a culture of excellence.

I believe our Lord demands this, and I believe we ought to give this to the Lord. When we think about going through our Bibles, can you imagine being one of the four Levite men chosen to carry the Ark of the Covenant, knowing what was in that box, knowing that you marched before Israel into battle, knowing how special that was? or in Luke chapter 1, Zachcharias, the father of John the Baptist. By that time in in Bible history, there were so many priests that were divided into courses or order.

1. Culture: An Attitude, a Spirit, an Atmosphere

The idea that he may in his life serve one time in that temple. Do you think he had a deacon calling him on Friday night saying, “Now, don’t forget, Mr. Zacharias, you’re you’re serving tomorrow.” Many of us get to serve on a regular regular basis. What an honor and blessing that is. And so this morning, what I want to do is I want to spend a little bit of time with you and talk to you about cultivating this culture of excellence. We begin first of all by noticing some of these words. When I talk about culture, we talk about culture.

We’re talking about the idea of an attitude, a spirit, an atmosphere, a vibe, a feel. Before anyone says a word behind this pulpit, someone walks into this building for the very first time, they sense something. And that’s what we’re talking about here. The idea of a culture here. Culture is what people experience even before they know what you believe. And listen to me on this. every organization, every company, every business, every sports team, every church, every school, and every home has a culture.

I’ve been in some homes and I go to a lot of homes. I go in some homes and and the couches is just stacked full of newspapers and magazines. They just throw them on the floor. Sit here, Brother Roger. I go to some homes and the couch is covered with plastic. I feel like I’m a museum. I’ve been in some homes before where everybody takes their shoes off at the front door and someone walks in, they don’t take them off and everyone just looks because you didn’t take your shoes off.

That is a culture. And what I want to see as we talk about this, we’re talking about a culture of worship, a culture before our God. And we need to see the culture is developed by the leaders, but it must be embraced by everybody. That’s why we’re going to kind of develop this and look at this and kind of explain this. And then we need to understand that some cultures are simply not right and need to be changed. In the Gospel of Luke, if you get the Bible there, Luke chapter 18, Luke chapter 18, just notice verse 9 and 10.

As Jesus begins this parable here, he told a parable how to some who trusted themselves that they were righteous and viewed others with contempt. Two men went up to the temple to pray. One a Pharisee and the other tax gatherer. The Pharisees stood and was praying this to himself. God, I thank you that I’m not like other people, swinners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week. I pray ti I pay tithe of all that I get.

All his prayer was about is look at my spiritual resume. God, move over Moses. I’m a coming up. No. No. Some cultures are just not right. Man was visiting the congregation one day. Preacher was very very passionate. Never heard preaching like that before. As a pre as a guy was preaching, the man said, “Praise the Lord.” Preach on a little bit more. Praise the Lord. About the third time, someone tapped him on the shoulder says, “Sir, we don’t praise the Lord here.”

2. Excellence Is Simply Bringing the Best

That is a culture, isn’t it? That is a culture. And we need to see how important it is that we develop the right culture. Secondly, we talk about this idea of excellence. Excellence is simply bringing the best. And what I want us to really understand is oftentimes when we develop a lesson like this, we think about this side of the pulpit. The preacher needs to bring his best. Amen. He does. I have a prayer I pray every time before I pray. Before I preach, I already prayed this morning. Lord, help me be the best I can today.

the song leader, those that pray, those that read scriptures. But when we talk about bringing the best, it also goes to the other side of the pulpit. If you have Saturday night live, good chance you have Sunday morning dead. We need to appreciate that. It’s not a spectator service. This is not I come and you entertain me. I come and you show me something. The preaching better be good or I’m out of here. What am I bringing to Jesus today? That’s the culture of excellence.

And so, look at some passages that really bring this out and help us to really understand this concept here. Matthew 22, which is our reading. He said to him, “You shall love the Lord with all of your heart, all of your soul, all of your mind.” Romans 12:1, not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord that you as as you received us from us instructions how you ought to walk and please the Lord ask you excel still more once again in the book of Phileiman chapter 20 verse 21 having confidence in your obedience I write to you since I know that you’ll do even more than what I say to the Corinthians he says therefore we also have as our ambition whether home or absent to be pleasing to him.

Whether whether then you eat or drink, whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Bringing my best. We had four kids. Someone asked us when we our kids were little, “When do you get ready for worship?” I said, “Thursday.” You start thinking about that. You don’t wait till Sunday morning. Where’s their Bibles? Where’s their shoes? Where’s this? Where’s that? You’re thinking, “Cuz Sunday is coming and I’ve got to be ready for my Lord.” Now, what a contrast to Malachi chapter 1.

Malachi chapter 1 and verse 8 says, “But when you present the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil?” Stop right there. Our culture, our times does not understand this. The Bible says, “Sometimes our worship can be wrong. Sometimes our worship can be evil. We live in a times where it says anything YOU DO JUST THROW in the name of Jesus and God is so desperate he’ll take anything. That’s not what this verse says. This verse is saying that why are you bringing me the sick and the lame?

Is it not evil? Why not offer it to your governor? Will he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you kindly? Says the Lord of hosts. Now understand, had there been some massive plague in Israel and every single animal was diseased, they could have come on their knees and said, “Lord, we are so sorry. We We have nothing. This is the best we have. But we’re so sorry, Lord.” But that wasn’t the situation. They had good lambs. Now you got this lamb and he’s diseased.

What are you going to do with him? If you breed them, you might breed the disease. Do you want to eat them and eat a disease? We’ve got to give one to God. We’ve got to kill one anyone. Why not kill this one? Because this one’s worthless. It’s useless. That was an attitude. That was a culture. Contrast this to the widow who came and gave all that she had in the temple. Again, bringing the best to God. Again, we look at Malachi chapter 1. You say, “My, how tiresome it is.

How disainfully sniff at it.” Over here in the book of Amos, saying, “When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain and the Sabbath that we may open the wheat market? When is church going to be over?” Why? Because I got to watch a football game. I got to do this. I’ve got to do that. And what it was is I’m just hurrying this as fast as I can for getting to what bringing the best. Turn your Bible to Isaiah chapter 1. Isaiah chapter 1. Again, it carries this tone with us about bringing the best.

Again, it helps us to see this. Isaiah chapter 1, we begin verse 11. Isaiah 1, begin verse 7. It says, “What are your multiplied sacrifices to me? says the Lord, I have had enough of burnt offerings of lambs, the fat of fed cattle, and I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls or lambs or goats. Verse 12, when you come to appear before me, who requires of this the trampling in my courts bring your worthless offerings no longer. Incense is the abomination to me.

New moon and Sabbath, the calling of assemblies. I cannot endure the iniquity and a solemn assembly. I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feast. They have become a burden to me. I am weary of bearing them all. So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my EYES FROM YOU. GOD SAYS, “GO HOME. Quit playing church.” Now, when I was a kid, my grandma lived in a little bitty town, my grandma and grandpa, and it was a small, small country church, and they took care of it.

And so after services, they’d bring the Lord’s supper home. And when we were visiting grandma and grandpa, we line up all the baby dolls. I even preached back then. My brother was doing one of the song leading and we’d play we’d play church. Sometimes 40, 50, 60 years passed and we’re still playing church. You see that? And so all this kind of points this idea of am I bringing the Lord the best? Now we need to appreciate that because God is the best.

The Bible teaches this three times in Isaiah. to whom will you liken me and make me equal and compare me that we would be alike? Three times he says that in the book of Lamentations, the Lord’s loving kindness indeed never ceases for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. Nothing is better than God. And secondly, God always gives the best. Always. When you read Genesis 1 and two, you don’t find Eve one day looking for Adam.

Where’s Adam? He left the garden to go get some munchies. No. Everything he needed was in the garden. Had Noah stayed in the ark another year, everything he needed was in the ark. Everything God gives us is perfect. Everything God gives us is right. I guarantee you this. I’ve never been there, but I guarantee you when you get to heaven, you’ll not say, “Is this it?” I guarantee you you won’t do that. I guarantee you. You say, “I cannot believe this. I cannot believe he allows me to be there.”

And so, why should I bring my best to God? Because he is the best. Because he always brings the best. And when we think about this before it’s manifested in the congregation, it’s first of all manifested in our homes. And so then it’s manifested in our hearts. And so bring my best every time I preach, every time I lead singing, every time I sing from the pew, bring the best when I greet visitors with a smile and a welcoming spirit. And yes, it has happened to me visiting the congregation on vacation one time.

A dear sister came up to me and says, “Excuse me, sir, you are in my seat.” And I reached my pocket. I said, “Ma’am, row 12, seat five belongs to me. No, you don’t ever do that. And maybe you sit in the same spot every single week. That’s okay. Somebody comes in, they don’t know that. Say, “I’m glad you’re here. Can I sit beside you?” You do not say you’re sitting in my seat because there’s no assigned seating here. And again, we have to see that you bring excellence when you prepare a class the best you can.

You bring excellence in the way you mow the grass and and the building is clean. know how the phone is answered every time you someone listens to you. Culture is built by hundreds and hundreds of ordinary special acts together. And so it is expressed in our homes. It is expressed in our hearts. Turn your Bible now to the book of Psalms. Three places we need to look at. Psalms 100. Psalms 100. Let’s look there. We are right in the midst of football season and a lot of people love to go tailgating.

Pregame. Psalms 100 is pregame. Let me read it to you. Focus on two concepts here. Psalms 100. Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before him with joyful singing. Know that the Lord himself is God. It is he who has made us and not we ourselves. We are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gate with thanksgiving and the courts with with praise. Give thanks to him. Bless his name for the Lord is God is good.

His loving kindness is everlasting. His faithfulness to all generations. First of all, notice how this begins with the action words. Shout, serve, come. No, I’m not just sitting back watching. I’m engaged here. Now, the thought behind this passage is that Israel was supposed to go to Jerusalem three times a year for holy days. A lot of people lived outside the city. And so as they would travel toward the city, they their family, their friends, they were walking towards the the the city.

This is one thing that they would say. And so here’s a whole throng of people. Here’s me, all my people, all your people. There’s a whole bunch of us walking to Jerusalem. AND SOMEBODY SAYS, “SHOUT TO THE LORD.” One by one, holy, righteous, good, blessing. Just all these things come out. SOMEBODY SAYS, “SING TO the Lord.” One of which just breaks out in the song. Now notice as this goes on, notice in verse four, enter the gates. We’ve now come into Jerusalem.

We’re here now. And then the second part of verse four, enter his courts. We’re now at the temple compound. But this was sung before they got to worship. Now, good question for you. What’s your Sunday morning routine coming here? You ever think about that? Do you worship before you worship? Coming down here? What kind of music you listening to? What you got on the TV? What are you reading? How you getting ready? You see this? Israel before they got there was honoring the Lord.

Now, let’s go to a couple other places. Psalms. Psalms chapter 34. Psalms chapter 34. Psalms chapter 34. And he says in verse three, “Oh, magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together.” Two thoughts there. First of all, we know what magnify is. You You got that little bug on the ground. You put a magnifying glass by it, it makes it bigger than what it is. Now, he’s not saying we’re going to make God bigger than he is because you cannot make God bigger than he is. What he’s saying is that’s our tension. Our attention is not on us. It’s not on me.

It’s not on you. It’s on God. But also notice togetherness here. Oh, magnify the Lord with me. Let us exalt his name together. I don’t know how you are, but when I go to a movie theater, I don’t want anybody sitting beside me. I mean, I’m sitting in my little seat going watch my movie, and here comes somebody down there. I’m thinking to myself, “Please do not sit near me. I don’t know who you are. I have nothing to say to you. when the movie’s over, I’m not going to talk to you. I’m here for the movie and that’s it. Now, that’s how some people view worship services.

But it’s not that way. There’s a togetherness here. I need you, you need me, and together we do these things. Now, go to 122. Psalms 122 verse one. Again, notice the same concept here of the worshiping with one another. Psalms 122 and verse one. I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” you need to go to church. No, let us go together. Let us worship together. Let us do these things together. Now, my wife and I for more than a decade have had season tickets to the Louisville Symphony.

Now, there’s a backstory here. My wife is a very excellent pianist. She studied classical piano in college until she realized you don’t make any money. So, she became a nurse. Okay. So, when we go to the concerts, she’s listening to themes and transitions, and I’m trying to figure out why this violin is darker than this violin. You know, I don’t I don’t get this. But, but we went to a show recently. They had a guest conductor. He came on stage, raised his baton, said nothing to the audience, and immediately broke into the national anthem.

Now, the highbrow classical musical people never play the national anthem, but they did. Everybody stood up except the lady sitting beside my wife. I don’t know if she had bad knees, bad day, or she was protesting. I don’t know what she just didn’t stand up. And so beautiful concert. On the way home, we were talking about things. I said, “Did you notice that lady beside you did not stand for the national anthem?” And my sweet wife said, “No, I didn’t notice.”

I did. Lady one time told me we had these church doors and on the back whenever you open them closing it click. She said I heard 13 clicks today. Did you said no? What do you notice? Notice the song was too loud. Song was pitched wrong. Notice he missed the passage. Notice he misuse the word. Notice that something was misspelled in the bulletin. Or did I notice Jesus? Did I notice who was among you? Don’t know this family who just buried somebody, but here they are today. Don’t know somebody who is struggling and yet they’re here.

Notice somebody who has all kinds of health issues. Every reason to stay home, but here they are. What do I notice? You see, this is the idea of bringing the best and bringing things out and how important this is as we think about this. You know, somebody once asked the great baseball player Mickey Manel and says, “When you come up the bat, do you ever think about hitting a home run?” And Mickey said, “Every single.” Every single every single time we try to hit a home run.

And And again, that that helps us to see that that’s a spirit about us as we talk about this. And again, uh to see the emphasis. Now, we’re we’re right here in the land of Disney. Disney spends a lot of money training employees. Understanding that people will remember how a place makes them feel. Long before they remember the individual rides, they remember how it made them feel. Disney is supposed to be the happiest place on earth. The church should be the most welcoming place on earth because of Jesus.

3. Cultivating Begins With Leaders

And so that’s that idea of bringing the best. Now the third concept here is cultivating. Cultivating. How do we do this? And and this begins with leaders. It begins with shepherds and preachers. But but it’s not just a casual indifferent lazy trickle down. It’s something that’s explicitly done. And so when we think about this, it’s repeated expressions that are believed, practiced, and communicated. It’s more than just cute phrases. It’s not little motto. This is who we are.

And that’s what we mean by culture. This is who we are. This is the kind of people that we are. And let me just share some of you that that we’ve done back at Charles Town Road. And I’ve already said this already. Sunday is the best day of the week. We’ve said this for years and years and years. And you know what happens now? Our services start at 9:30. We got people showing up at 8:00. Why? Because there’s no better place to be than the house of God with God’s people.

People will say this in their prayers. People say this all the time. I hear it after services. Isn’t this the best day of the week? Now, here’s something to think about. How guilty I am of this? We say the last amen. Services are over. We get up immediately. We say, “Man, did you see that football game?” I say, “Man, that was amazing. You see that quarterback? Wow. Why you think about this weather here, man? It’s really hot here. Why you think about the politics? It’s crazy down.” Immediately, it’s like we’re just done with church. We’re done with God.

How many times I’ve left the church building and gotten to my car in a parking lot and I could not tell you three songs that we sang. Where was I just floating through these things? And I’ve got to ask myself, am I giving my God who gave me the best? He didn’t send somebody out heaven. He didn’t open up those some old junk door say here’s here’s somebody go down. Michael the archangel. You go on down. He sent Jesus the best of heaven. and can I not give him my best life the way it’s meant to be.

That was one of our yearly themes. God designed a life for us. When we live it that way, it’s the way it’s supposed to be. Face the direction we’re going. I got this from from an airport. You know how most major airports uh Orlando has this, Indianapolis has this, all major airports have this. They have these conveyor belts where you stand on I call them people movers. I don’t know what they’re called, but you just stand on Well, and in London at the Heathrow airport, they have a sign hanging down.

It says face the direction you’re going. And the idea is if we’re moving this way, but I’m over here talking to you and my friends, we’re going to get to the end. I’m going to fall off. But there’s a spiritual truth to that. I want to go to heaven, but I’m facing the wrong direction. I want to go to heaven, but I’m facing the world. If I want to go to heaven, I got to face the direction I’m going. What a great principle. What a great parenting thing. You want to go to heaven, how come all your friends are going the other direction?

You want to go to heaven, how come all your friends talk in language we don’t talk? You want to go to heaven, how come you’re doing things that God doesn’t want you to do? Leave this place better than you found. This start, this started physically back home. Services would be over. Song book would be on the floor, a piece of paper. Well, I’m not the janitor. Don’t pick it up. Doesn’t matter. But then it became something that we looked at in legacy and we looked at it in spiritual ideas that someday we hand the keys of this over to the next generation.

Is this church going to be stronger than when I got here? Is this church better than when I got here? Am I making sure this church is friendlier than when I got here? What am I doing to do that? And then of course to bring the best. That’s that concept. And all that helps us to see that as we work through these things and working with Jesus along these. Now, let me say something here and I’ve got to be very careful. You don’t want you do not misunderstand me. This is a rogerism. 100% rogerism. Okay? Do not misunderstand me on this.

I have four kids, one girl and three boys. I worked with the boys. My wife worked with the girl. I didn’t understand girls. So, I worked with the boys. I would not let them wear blue jeans to church. Now, if you’re here this morning, you got blue jeans, you can go to heaven 100%. Nothing wrong with that. in my house. I would say no. Oh, they would fight me. Dad, when we move out, we’re gonna wear blue jeans. Awesome. Go for it. But who’s paying the mortgage is me and you’re gonna go by my rules.

One Sunday, one Sunday, they came in and said, “Dad, brother, one of the elders is wearing jeans.” I said, “Awesome for him. If he lived in my house, he wouldn’t do it.” Now, if you’re wearing jeans right now, do not feel offended. Do not feel bad. That’s okay. What I was trying to impress upon my children was that we’ve got better and we’re going to before the Lord and we can do better. Now, my grandfather always wore bib overhauls. That’s all he ever wore. He was buried in bib overhauls, but he had one pair that was so blue I think they’d stand up because they’re so stiff.

He only wore those on Sunday. Those are his best bib overhauls. You see what I’m saying? We’re talking about a culture. We’re talking about attitude. We’re talking about a field with all this concept here. And so, so when we con consider this idea here, what we see is servants growing, men becoming leaders, young families becoming pillars, people looking for ways to serve instead of reasons not to serve, visitors notice, members notice, and what we see is that God noticed.

And when we go back to the original story, as I started with, what should have happened is the song lyric got his act together before time. Pick out your songs before the before Sunday as as you guys do here. Practice and practice that. The young man should should have his Bible marked and get and practice and practice. Folks that are thirsty, get your drinks ahead of time. Now, sometimes you can’t. We understand that. Sometimes because of health, you’ve got to go out to the bathroom. We we don’t want an accident here, please. So, so understand we we understand that.

But a lot of times we just do that because we’re bored. And that’s a greater question. Why am I bored for God? I can’t say it’s this side of the pulpit. I say it’s inside my heart. I have to look at this. And so I can make it better. I can do better. And that’s what we have to see. And so once the culture is developed, it’s essential to maintain it. And it takes forethought and effort to do that. And and and as we think about this, we have to see the idea here is that there’s always enemies to excellence.

Comfort is one. We’ve always done it this way. Why should we change? And again, that that is something that we have to consider. Complacency, it’s good enough. No, you can never get better because of God. God’s always deserve the best. Carelessness, it really doesn’t matter. Or consumerism. What do I what’s in it for me? Why should I? What do I get out of it? All of that is going to fight the culture of excellence. But what excellence is is not spectacular things.

It’s doing ordinary things with an excellent ordinary heart because it belongs to the Lord. Back in the medieval days, there was a man came across three stone cutters, mason, stonemasons. He asked the first one, “What are you doing?” He said, “I’m doing a job because my master told me to.” He asked the second one, “What are you doing?” He said, “I’m earning a living.” He asked the third one, “What are you doing?” He said, “I’m being building a cathedral for God.” One saw it as a task. One saw it as a paycheck.

Conclusion

And one saw it as a purpose. And so, as we wrap this up this morning, I got to ask myself, why did I come this morning? Because I have to? Because I don’t want the elders to call on me? because my Jesus is here and I want to be here. You see, it’s about a culture of excellence this morning. If you’re not a Christian, you need to become one by giving your heart to God. God gave his best for you so you could have eternity with him. He wants you to live the best life you can and the best life you can have is in Jesus Christ. You need to be baptized and the Bible teaches apostles taught that everywhere and to walk and to live with Jesus.

And a lot of us, a lot of us has forgotten this lesson. A lot of us has get got in the routine of just same old same old. Little boy one day was at the fair. He saw a man selling balloons and he watched them. He come over there and says, “Which one flies higher, the blue one or the green one?” Man said, “They fly the same. Which one do you want?” He’d watch a little bit longer. How about the red one or the purple one? Which one flies higher? He said, “They fly the same.” This went on and on. Finally, the blue man says, “Son, it’s not the color on the outside.

It’s what’s on the inside that makes all the difference. So it is with you. So it is with me. It’s what’s on the inside. I went to church today or I worship my God. Not the same thing.” And I hope you can see from this how important this is. What a blessing. Can you imagine anywhere you go, anywhere, any time of the day, anytime you can talk to heaven, you can’t do that. I guarantee you this afternoon, unless you’ve got some personal connections, unless you got this inside road, I guarantee you most of us could not pick up the phone this afternoon and say, “I want to call the governor of Florida right now.

I got to talk to him.” There’ll be so many levels of secretaries we would never even reach. Try calling the president this afternoon. See if you get through. You’re not going to get through. Some of you couldn’t even call the CEO of your company. I GOT TO TALK TO YOU. Who are you? You go talk to God right now. Even as I’m talking, you can talk to God if he hears you. As you’re driving down the road, you can talk to God. As you’re sitting in that crazy meeting tomorrow, you can talk to God.

As you’re walking down the classroom of the high school tomorrow, you can talk to God anywhere, anytime. And he’s not going to say, “Excuse now. Who are you again?” He knows who you are and he knows everything about you. And more than that, he loves you. And the thing, what a blessing. a blessing. And so maybe maybe we’ve just gotten a little stale sometimes as we come to God and maybe we’ve forgotten about this. I believe this begins first of all in each of our individual hearts.

It transfers to our homes. Let those little ones pray. I I’m a yard fanatic. Okay? My yard has to look like a golf course. Okay? I remember when my little ones was little said, “Dear God, please keep sending those little yellow flowers in our yard.” They’re called dandelions and I’m thinking, Lord, do not answer that. You know, let them pray. And and I’ve got a whole bunch of grandkids now. And I think the food gets done by the time they get done praying.

They start praying for the fork and the spoon and the kitty cat and this and that and this and that and this. I’m thinking, we got to eat one of these days here, you know. But you let them pray. Why? Because you are teaching them a culture. A culture. Where would this food be had not been for the Lord? Where would I be had it not been for the Lord? The great passage in the book of Psalms twice the psalmist says this. Had it not been for the Lord.

Had it not been for the Lord, most people in this room would never even know each other. You live in the same community, you’d see each other’s stories, they didn’t know each other. Look what the Lord has done. Had it not been for the Lord. You ever thought about that? If you were not a Christian, some of you have been Christians two decades, three decades, four decades, five decades. You think about what your life would be like have you not been a Christian?

What addictions would you be? Would you be a drunk? Would you be in jail? How many marriages you’ve been flying through by that time? Had it not been for the Lord, look where I’m at. And not just here, look what’s ahead of me. It’s only going to get better. because what he’s promised had it not been for me. And so I come on a Sunday. I’ve had a lot of people through the years say we we studied something in the Bible, you know, brother Rogers, when I get to heaven, I’m going to ask God.

No, you’re not. You’re not going to ask God. You get to heaven, your mouth is going to be open. My questions don’t matter anymore because of you. Because you you have patience. You didn’t give up on me. You forgave me. Forgive me. Forgive me. Think about this. Think about this. How many times in your Christian life do you think God has forgiven you? 10 times, 100, thousand, a million. Aren’t you glad like medical insurance? She hit a cap and God said, “Whip, you’re on your own. I got seven for you this week.

If you mess up eight times, you’re on your own.” He doesn’t do that, does he? And so when I come on Sunday, it’s not like And once you get this, once you get this culture, once you get this, you don’t ask the elders. Now, now, now elders, technically, technically Wednesday night’s not in the Bible. What you’re going to be asking the elders is why can’t we have church Monday and Tuesday and Thursday and Friday? Because God has been so good to me.

That’s what you’re going to be saying. And so that’s what I want to see. Excellence. Bring the best. Now, I never think when I say that little prayer, Lord, help me be the best I can today. I never think I’m the You got a better preacher right here than me right there. Oh, he is. He is. He calls He thinks I’m his mentor. He’s my mentor. You know, he is. I’m going to grow up and be a preacher like him. You know, I I never try to be the best preacher that there is.

I just want to be the best Roger. That’s all I want to be. And so, Lord, help me be the best disciple I can be today. Help me to be the best Christian today. Help me just bring the best. Why? Because of Jesus. We can help you.